So I’m sitting around my house waiting to hear back from this guy to learn whether or not I have a new career in creating synth patches. It’s nerve wracking. It’s like waiting for the governor to give you a pardon. And if you know anything about our governor (I live on NJ) you know that’s NOT going to happen.
Patience. It’s one of the hardest things in the world to have. My wife told me that her father has this saying. “Patience is a virtue given by God and abused by man.” How true this is.
So how do we do it? How do we practice patience? Like anything else, it’s not just going to come. Human nature, being what it is, we want everything and we want it now. Oh> Perhaps you never saw Willy Wonka?
I’ll be perfectly honest with you. I’m not the most patient person in the world. I have gotten better over the years but I still have a long way to go. It’s something I have to practice each and every day.
How do I do it when it comes to writing music or creating synth patches or whatever it is I’m doing that has something to do with this crazy business? Well, here’s a few tips that might make your music business a little less stressful for you.
First thing you have to understand and remember is that nothing in this business happens overnight. Do you have any idea how long it takes somebody in the music business to make a record? There are stories about some groups having taken a year or longer to make a record. Some songs were put on the back burner for years until just the right time to release them. Talk about having patience.
And that’s one of the reasons why it’s so hard to make it to the top of the music industry. So many people just rush their product out there before it’s ready while the professionals take their time and only put their product out there when it’s perfect. That’s one of the reasons why these people have made it. They have patience. They don’t release a song or an album until it’s darn good and ready. Yes, talent helps. But talent can’t overcome a rushed out product.
Once you understand and accept the fact that the professionals take their time with their music, it might make it a little easier for you to do the same. After all, this isn’t a race. You don’t win any prizes for being first. Not if being first puts out a product that’s a piece of crap. Now, being first and having something great is another story. But greatness can’t be rushed. The pros understand this.
Another way to develop some patience is to force yourself to make checklists. Whenever you start a new project, write down all the things that you need to cover in undertaking that project. Don’t leave anything out, no matter how trivial the activity may seem. Sometimes it’s the little details that make all the difference in the world.
For example, let’s say that you have this idea for a new song and you hear this specific sound for it in your head that you know would be just perfect for your idea. You go through your bank of sounds in your synth but you just can’t find it. You still hear it in your head though and you can even describe it.
You now have two choices. You can dive into your synth and program the sound yourself. If you’re not an expert programmer, you might have trouble doing this quickly. You may need to actually slow down and take your time. Now, if you have no programming skills then your second choice is to hire somebody to program the sound for you. That’s also going to take some time in finding somebody. You want to hire somebody who has experience programming the kind of sounds you’re looking for. You’re going to want to hear samples of their work. Maybe they’ve already programmed something that will be perfect for what you’re looking for.
Of course there is a third choice. But this requires a lot of patience. You can look for third party patches that sound like what you’re looking for. That means you’re going to have to listen to tons of samples to find something that’s even close enough so that maybe you can tweak it once you’ve gotten it. Ever wade through a ton of synth patches? That’ll teach you patience.
Ultimately, slowly and carefully going through all these steps is going to bring you the best results. If you rush and just pull up any old patch because it’s “good enough” you’re not going to have the best sound for your song. You’re going to be settling for second best. And in this business, second best is not good enough. Not when you’re competing with the best in the industry.
Right now, I’m having the hardest time in my life being patient because I’m broke. When you need money and need it right away, patience is a difficult thing to have. But it’s still important.
So what do you do when things get that bad?
Here’s what I do.
I keep busy. That’s right. I keep busy. I don’t sit around worrying or waiting for somebody to get back to me like I’m going now. I work. When I work, the time goes by very quickly. And to make sure I’m always working, I make a schedule and I stick to it. I discipline myself to do this. Eventually, I’ll get news about my new venture. It’ll either be a yes or a no. My sitting around waiting and wondering and worrying isn’t going to change that. So I work and what will be will be.
Yeah, it’s not easy. Nobody ever said it was. But it works. Maybe something else will work for you. Whatever it is, find it.
Because patience is a virtue.
For The Love Of Music,
Steven “Wags” Wagenheim